SM018 – Straight Key Night (SKN)

About Straight Key Night

The ARRL year starts out with a di and a dah with the Straight Key Night. This 24-hour event is not a contest; rather it is a day dedicated to celebrating our CW heritage. Participants are encouraged to get on the air and simply make enjoyable conversational CW QSOs. The use of straight keys or bugs to send CW is preferred. There are no points scored and all who participate are winners.

Contest Details

Dates

Straight Key Night is held every January 1 from 0000 UTC through 2359 UTC. Here in Oklahoma, Friday, December 31 from 6:00 pm central time through 5:59 pm on Saturday.

Terms Of Entry

  • Entrants agree to be bound by the provisions and intent of ARRL contest rules.
  • Entrants agree to be bound by the regulations of their national licensing authority.
  • Entrants agree to be bound by the decisions of the ARRL Awards Committee.
  • Log contents used to determine final score and awards will be available to the public.
  • All entries become the property of the ARRL.

Bands

All authorized Amateur frequencies, but activity has traditionally been centered on the HF bands.

Log Submission Deadline

Entries for Straight Key Night must be received by January 31, 2022. Votes for “Best Fist” and “Most Interesting QSO” will be tabulated and included in the results.


Send your information to straightkey@arrl.org

or by mail to:

ARRL Straight Key Night

225 Main Street

Newington, CT 06111

For more information, contact the contests group at contests@arrl.org or (860) 594-0232.

Results

Results from previous Straight Key Nights are available at https://contests.arrl.org/

Contest Exchange

When participating in SKN instead of sending RST before sending the signal report send the letters SKN, to indicate your participation, and to clue in passers-by who may be listening that SKN is going strong.  After SKN, send the Contest Branch a list of stations worked, plus your vote for the best fist you heard (it doesn’t have to be one you worked).  Also, include your vote for the most interesting QSO you had or monitored.

Don’t forget to post your comments and interesting photographs from your SKN adventure to the ARRL Contest Online Soapbox at https://www.arrl.org/soapbox. Entries should be emailed to the Contest Branch at StraightKey@arrl.org or may be sent via regular mail to SKN, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. The Soapbox https://www.arrl.org/soapbox becomes an online album of stories and photographs to share with others.

Clubs

Amateur radio clubs are the backbone of the hobby. The tremendous local hams have good information, and as Elmers or mentors, they love to share it. Send something that your club is doing well to me n5hzr@arrl.org, and I’ll feature your club in this newsletter, and on the ARRL club newsletter. Most clubs are seeing an increase in new member activity recently. Our Oklahoma Affiliated Club Coordinator, Jim Shideler W5JCS, can help you find a club or help your club become affiliated. We currently have 39 clubs listed at https://ok.arrl.org/clubs/. Look for a club near you, or verify that your club is on the list. Send Jim an email at W5JCS@arrl.net if you need club assistance.

ARRL Oklahoma is On The Web

JOIN/RENEW ARRL NOW —  http://arrl.org/join/

73, de Mark Kleine N5HZR — Stand by, more follows…